These 10 Firms Led This Week’s Rally

Ten companies finished stronger this week, outpacing the broader market thanks to a series of catalysts that lifted investor sentiment.

On Friday, the Dow Jones recorded its largest weekly drop, falling 1.07%, while the S&P’s main index and Nasdaq declined by 0.71% and 0.62%, respectively.

Despite a lackluster performance from Wall Street’s major indices, 10 companies demonstrated notable resilience. In this article, we will look at their past week’s performance and the reasons that fueled their rally.

To come up with this week’s top gainers, we considered only the stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and $5 million in daily trading volume.

The New York Stock Exchange building. Photo by Дмитрий Трепольский on Pexels

10. United States Steel Corp. (NYSE:X)

Shares of US Steel Corp. (X) finished last week’s trading on a strong note, clocking in a 12.82-percent gain to end at $34.24 versus a $30.35 finish the week prior.

Despite President Joe Biden’s blocking of Nippon Steel’s plan to acquire US Steel for $14.9 billion earlier this month, investor sentiment was later fueled by hopes that the deal could still push through after the current administration told the Japan-based firm to delay an order to abandon the plan until June.

“We are pleased that CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) has granted an extension to June 18, 2025, of the requirement in President Biden’s Executive Order that the parties permanently abandon the transaction,” both firms said in a statement.

“We look forward to completing the transaction, which secures the best future for the American steel industry and all our stakeholders,” they added.

Both companies, however, will now confront the challenge of a new administration, particularly as incoming President Donald Trump has already signaled his opposition to Nippon’s acquisition of US Steel.

9. Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL)

Shares of Delta Air (DAL) jumped by 13.36 percent week-on-week, ending at $66.95 versus the $59.06 price the week prior.

Investor sentiment was bolstered by better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2024 on the back of strong travel demand.

From months October to December, Delta Air (DAL) said net income came in at $843 million while operating revenues were at $15.6 billion. Earnings per share of $1.85 also beat analyst estimates of $1.75.

For this year, Delta Air Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said he was confident that the company’s strong performance would carry over to 2025, “with consumers increasingly seeking the premium products and experiences that Delta provides.”

For this year, Delta Air Lines (DAL) said it expects to generate over $4 billion in free cash, or an 18 percent growth from 2024, in the midpoint of its annual target of between $3 billion and $5 billion. Meanwhile, annual adjusted earnings are targeted to settle at $7.35 per share.